Pages

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Death of delivery man moves nation

Touching story to highlight the act of kindness and the beauty of sharing to other needy:

SOUTH KOREA - The death of a Chinese food delivery man who regularly
donated a portion of his small salary to help the needy is touching the
heart of the nation.

People he barely knew have attended his funeral, expressing
condolence. They praised him for carrying out the spirit of sharing
despite living on a shoestring budget.

Kim Woo-su, 54, died Sunday, two days after his motorcycle collided with a car while on a delivery run.

Though Kim scratched a living as a delivery man of a small Chinese
restaurant, he had given part of his salary to children in need through
Child Fund Korea since 2006. He had earned 700,000 won ($600) a month
from the restaurant in the southern Seoul town of Ilwon.

On top of his years of donations, he left 40 million won ($34,000) in
life insurance money to the charity. He had insured himself against
traffic accidents because his job put him at risk of them.

Orphaned at 7, Kim once served time for arson. Six months before
release, he began to make donations for children who lived a hard life
like he did. His decision to give came in jail after he read about
children suffering from domestic violence.

Though Kim pledged to be an organ donor, his wish did not come true
as hospitals could not find his family, whose consent was needed.

"I live a very happy life by making donation for children," Kim once
said in an interview with a local TV network. "I would rather spend less
than stopping my support for children. I wish I could live a long and
healthy life so that I can support them as long as possible."

News of his death served as a wakeup call to those who regard giving as someone else's job.

"I felt bad when I heard the news. I failed in business several
times, but I didn't make a small effort to help others even when I was
well off," said Park Hyun-chul, who learned of Kim's story on Twitter.

Though Kim was single and had never married, he was like a father to
the children he supported.

Except for a brief period three years ago
when he had to cut his donation due to lung surgery, he donated
steadily.

One of the children who received money from him is a 16-year-old
girl, surnamed Shin, who lives with her grandmother and three sisters.

"I didn't know you have done so much for me. Not knowing how precious
your donation was, I would complain and whine about my situation. I
will do my best in everything and help others like you," said Shin in a
letter to Kim after his death.

President Lee Myung-bak and politicians have also conveyed messages of condolence.

"Kim had shared what he had with others and proved that small good
deeds can give hope and courage to others," Lee said on the Blue House
Facebook page.

"I express condolences to Kim, who showed the spirit of caring and
sharing. Kim reminds me of an old Chinese saying that everyone around me
is greater than me," said Ji Sang-wook, lawmaker of the Liberty Forward
Party on Twitter.